Construction at the Hampton Inn has had to take a rain check in recent weeks.

According to Tom Bolton, foreman for Cooper Brothers Construction, though, the recent spate of wet weather won’t push back completion of the building too far past its original deadline of the end of last year.

Bolton said that the inn’s target completion day has now been pushed to March 1. He added that construction began in the spring of 2002.

The rain, Bolton said, keeps people from working on both the outside of the building and the parking lot. However, he added, since a roof has been added to the structure work on the inside can occur rain or shine.

Interior work can still be a trial when workers have to traverse a sea of mud when getting to and from the building.

Right now, Bolton said, about 35 workers are at the construction site on a good working day focusing on the exterior stucco finish, carpentry and painting tasks along with heating and air conditioning jobs among others.

Bolton added that the rain doesn’t hurt any work that’s already been completed. It just halts it for as long as the downpour lasts.

Workers are on the site when the weather permits at least six days a week, Bolton said, and occasionally are there a full seven days.

Bolton himself visits the site about two to three times a day to check on the status and progress of the work.

When at his desk in the office, he added, he’s busy making sure the bills get paid and generally running the office.

Bolton said that Cooper Brothers is currently working on a number of jobs, and that the rain has affected all of them to some extent.

Park Place Nursing Home is one of the work sites that Bolton said has been slowed due to the rain. Work there is about a month behind schedule.

Bolton also said that while the rain can hamper all aspects of construction, foundation work takes a particular hit during bad weather.

“It’s kind of hard to pour concrete in the rain,” Bolton said.